Who+Am+I?

=Who Am I?= by Lori Cummings

Purpose
The purpose of this activity is to encourage people to work together to figure out their secret identity in fun and non-threatening manner.

Time Required
This activity takes approximately 30 minutes, but might take more or less depending on the number of individuals playing the game or the types of identities chosen on the game labels.

Number of Participants
You need a minimum of four people to play the game. There is no maximum number of players for the game, but it is best played with between 25 and 50 people. Since the object of the game is to get comfortable with people one has never met, it would be best to divide groups of more than 50 into two groups to play the game.

Supplies Needed
Facilitators of the game need to have pre-printed (or handwritten) adhesive name tags with the name of famous people written on them. The more unusual or funny the names (and difficult to guess) the better the game will be. [|Here] is an example of some name tags. If a facilitator uses adhesive labels, they can be printed out and adhered to participants when they walk in the door of the event. The [|labels] found here are a variety of famous people. Facilitators should pick characters or people that make sense for the group of individuals for whom they are working (depending on age and group dynamics). Facilitators should pick people who are not easy to figure out, but who their participants will know.

Preparation
The facilitator need only make the name labels and be prepared to guide the participants through the game. It is a good idea to have two sets of labels in case some names are too difficult or some participants want to play a second time. Make sure that all participants have their own name tag (with their actual name on it).

Introduction
(As participants enter the meeting facility): Facilitator script: "As people begin to arrive at the meeting you will need them to help answer the question, "Who Am I?" I am going to place a sticker on your back with the name of a famous person. It is your task to ask other participants to help you discover who you are by asking only YES or NO questions. As new people arrive, be sure to help them discover who they are. If you figure out who you are, move your sticker to the front (near your name tag). Have fun, and remember, only YES or NO questions!

Process
1. As participants walk through the door, place a name label on the participants' BACK (where they cannot see it).

2. Tell the participant that he/she must figure out the person on his/her back by asking other participants yes or no questions ONLY. All responses must be a yes or no without any editorializing!

3. Participants may only ask ONE person ONE question, unless there are only two people to start. Do not give any other advice. Send the participants off to start asking other participants questions.

4. As more participants arrive, there will be more and more people asking questions. The facilitator will then move around the room to ensure that participants are asking only yes or no questions, and that they are moving from person to person to figure out their identity. The facilitator can also give hints to the other players if they are not familiar with the unknown person.

5. The first person to figure out his or her person will then move around and help facilitate the game (this person could also be deemed the winner, although the person who has the most difficult time figuring out his/her identity is the one who gets the most attention!) The goal is for everyone to start interacting with one another, and have fun asking questions.

6. Once the last person has guessed his/her identity, move on to the meeting's agenda.

Debrief
1. Was everyone able to guess his/her identity? 2. Did you find it difficult to ask only yes or no questions? 4. Did you find it difficult to answer only with a yes or no response? 5. Was it effortless for you to move around the room talking to people you didn't know or challenging? 6. Did it make you feel comfortable or uncomfortable to ask strangers questions? 7. Did you feel camaraderie with perfect strangers? 8. How did you feel when you figured out your identity?

Credits
I facilitate training sessions and I use this one over and over again because I have found it to be very successful. I am always impressed by how well the participants delve right into this activity. They begin to mingle with perfect strangers, and by the end of the activity, they are smiling and feeling comfortable. I have done this with pre-teens all the way up to adult men and women. It's a lot of fun, and really breaks the ice. Some times the group wants to play more than once, but if it is a big group, once is enough. The best thing about this ice breaker is that the labels can be created for any group of people. The game can also be used to guess famous historians, places, objects, countries, foods, or just about anything to fit with the participants' demographic.